Increased competition within the grocery sector has seen prices on certain products drop in the lead-up to Christmas, according to Kantar Worldpanel.
Price inflation in the sector fell to 1.9% in the 12 weeks to 7 December, according to the firm’s latest retail figures, with prices on many products now lower than they were a year ago.
Meanwhile grocery marketshare remains in flux, as discounters like Aldi and Lidl continue to gain at the expense of others.
Tesco remains the biggest retailer in Ireland, according to Kantar, though its share of consumer spend fell further in the three month period to 25%.
This was matched with a 3% fall in the value of sales, though Kantar says footfall at its shops was up slightly.
Supervalu remains in second place with a 24.6% share – down slightly year-on-year – though the value of the firm’s sales was up slightly.
Dunnes, meanwhile, saw its market share fall slightly, while the value of its sales was also down.
With the value of sales in the sector as a whole up slightly year-on-year, the biggest winners were the discount retailers.
The value of sales at Aldi rose 13.1%, with its market share standing at 8.4% - almost 1% higher year-on-year.
Lidl’s sales value was 16.6% higher, meanwhile, with the company taking a 7.8% share of consumer spend in the twelve week period.
